~~Evelyn Dayne~~
I walk alongside Ser Jorah through the keep, feeling rather odd walking alongside a Mormont again. But it's good. It feels good to have one by my side again.
"Do you remember your aunt, Maege?"
"Of course. She was always a bit of a troubled woman who drank too much for her own good. But she was a good woman nonetheless."
"The greatest."
I say with a small smile.
"If it weren't for her, I would've done things during the War that would make Joffrey's monstrosities look like kitten play."
I say a bit sadly, shuttering lightly at the thought of all the things that swirled around in my head during those days.
"But it wasn't just her that kept you level, was it?"
He asks, probably already knowing the answer as I smile with a nod. We turn the corner and approach the library of which I stole plenty of books from. At one of the desks, there is a man, rather large in body, huddled behind it, face so far in a book he could probably taste the page number.
Me and Ser Jorah stand a bit awkwardly until I clear my throat, catching his attention.
"Oh!"
He sets the book down in a startled manner as he stands to greet us.
"So you are the man?"
I ask and he just looks confused.
"Um... Which man would I be, my La- my Queen?"
He stutters a little which makes me smile lightly.
"You are the man that saved Ser Jorah's life, are you not? When no one else could, you did."
"Well, the Maesters could it's just that they wouldn't."
Ser Jorah says and I turn to him, raising a brow.
"If that's the case, then it appears Dany and I will have to make some changes to the Citadel when we come to the Iron Throne. A great service has to be rewarded in some way."
"Oh, it's my honor to serve you, Your Grace."
"They call you Sam, right?"
He nods.
"Well, Sam, there has to be something that you want?"
"If..it's not too much trouble, I could use a pardon."
I chuckle a little at that.
"And what crime did you commit?"
"Well..I borrowed some books from the Citadel."
"And I 'borrowed' books from this very library we're in yet no one is prosecuting me after all these years."
I joke and he smiles a little.
"And..well..I could use another pardon on something else."
"An even greater crime than the thievery of books?"
"I also borrowed a sword."
I raise a brow at that in confusion.
"I didn't know they had swords at the Citidel."
"They have all kinds of things but..I didn't take if from the Citidel. I took it from my family. It's been in House Tarly for generations."
My smile drops instantly as I stare at the man in shock, only now realizing who it is before me. Jon had said the man who first killed a White Walker was named Samwell. How could I be so stupid not to realize this Sam is the same?
"You mean...Randyll Tarly? Of Horn Hill?"
"You know of him?"
Samwell says, a bit surprised.
"I...offered him to bend the knee, twice, but he refused.."
Samwell steps back in shock as I see his lip quiver slightly.
"What..what happened to him?"
I hesitate, looking at Jorah for a moment before sighing heavily.
"I beheaded him.."
Samwell sucks in a sharp breath as he backs away slightly. I gaze at him in regret but I know it was something that had to be done.
"Your father was an Oathbreaker. Despite how he betrayed House Tyrell, we were going to spare him. But the things that he said..about my future wife, about me...those things could not be forgiven."
I say and Samwell nods a little, sniffling slightly.
"Well... At least I can return to Horn Hill now that my brother is the Lord there..right?"
He asks and I nod.
"I allowed your brother to return home with your father's body. Randyll Tarly is buried at Horn Hill where your brother now sits as it's lord after swearing fealty to Daenerys Targaryen."
Sam releases a heavy breath of relief.
"Thank you, my La- Your Grace... Um.."
"You can go. Your crimes are forgiven."
I state and Samwell nods before walking out of the library hurriedly. As soon as he's gone, I lean on the table, my hands on my temples as I now have a raging headache.
"Gods..."
"Are you alright, Your Grace?"
"No, of course not. I was just talking to a man who's father I beheaded. Of course I'm not alright."
I breath in and out at a fast pace. Never before had I executed someone and then have to speak with their son or father. I guess Adwin Lannister could count.
But I feel terrible. All the killing that I have done haunts me still. But now it feels just a bit more overwhelming than before.
"I-I need Daenerys.."
~~~~~
"Are you okay, my love?"
Daenerys asks, holding my hands in hers as I face the ground, unsure really of what to feel.
"Maybe? I..I don't even know what to feel. I mean, the look on his face when I told him what I did to his father..."
I pause, releasing a shakey breath.
"I mean...I've killed so many people I've lost count. But I've never had to face their sons or daughters after the deed was done."
I whisper as Daenerys rubs circles on my hands, leaning her head on my shoulder as I relax into her embrace, feeling safe from everything and everyone outside of our own little world.
"When I was, well, married, to Hizdahr zo Loraq, I had to deal with the fact that I burned his father alive."
Daenerys says in a quiet whisper, the shame evident in her words.
"But despite what I did, Hizdahr actually tried to help me build apon my work in the former slave-cities."
"Such marvelous work he did in Yunkai. I was nearly eaten by a damn tiger there."
I say jokingly with a smile, making her chuckle lightly.
"I know it didn't exactly work out then but do you see where I'm going with this? If I could do something to one's father and still have them work with me, then you can do the same with this Samwell Tarly."
The look in her beautiful violet eyes gives me hope that I can start to meand some of the old wounds that I've inflicted on myself and on others. I release a silent breath of relief, closing my eyes briefly and nodding with a smile.
"Thank you, my love. I don't know what I would do without you."
"Let's try not to think about what either of us would do without the other."
We both smile brightly as she stands, taking me up with her.
"I want to see the Weirwood tree again. Those faces are so weird yet intriguing at the same time."
She says, sounding excited which in turn makes the bad feelings go away, replaced with happy thoughts of the future.
"Have you taken the ideas of a dress into consideration?"
I scoff lightly with a smile as we continue walking through Winterfell.
"No."
"Would you consider it?"
"Nope."
"But I think you'd look really pretty in a dress for our wedding."
She says in a cute manner and I groan a bit, the ideas of silly and annoying dresses irritating me a bit.
"Dany, I haven't worn a dress since I was like eight."
"Well, would you wear one if I asked nicely?"
"You've asked nicely since you pretty much proposed to me at the Wall and what was my answer every time?"
"You said that, "Of course, Daenerys! I would love to wear a dress for my beautiful darling fiance at our wedding!""
I laugh at that as I shake my head. This woman, beneath the queenly facade and dutiful leader look, is an absolute mush. Cute and playfully beyond belief.
And yet she's the one calling me a child the other day for starting a snowball fight.
"Of course, dear."
"Are you agreeing with me just to shut me up?"
"I can think of better ways to shut you up, my dear."
I turn to her, raising a brow with a grin as she flushes in embarrassment.
"There's people around."
"And?"
"Gods, you're such a pig."
"Oh, Dany, you wound me."
I fake pain as I hold my hand over my heart as we both burst into laughter as we make out way through one of the entrances to the Godswood. Walking through the tiny forest, seeing birds on the snowey tree branches along with a few crows, we walk on.
As the tree with faces and the red leaves comes into view, I notice that Bran is sitting on his wheelchair, wrapped in fur, just staring blankly at the tree. Despite the fact that he isn't facing us, I still feel like he can see us.
Daenerys must be a bit creeper out too as she takes my hand, holding on a bit tightly.
"Ser Evelyn Dayne."
Bran states simply as Daenerys and I walk up beside him.
"The Dragon Queen."
"How did you know it was us?"
"Anyone could sense the abundance of joy standing beside you, Ser Evelyn. And whever she is, you're not too far behind."
He says blankly, making me stare for a few moments before clearing my throat awkwardly.
"Jon had said you hang around by the Weirwood quite often. Is there a reason to that?"
I ask and Bran doesn't say anything. I let go of Dany's hand, moving around in front of Bran and kneeling, making him look me in the eyes.
"What happened to the boy who used to love listening to stories from Old Nan? The boy who I could climb towers with all the live-long day? Bran, what happened to you?"
I finally ask, sick of the guessing with what happened. Out of the last of the Starks, Bran is the one who's changed the most.
"That boy who wished he was dead after finding that his legs no longer worked is no more. I'm not really Brandon Stark anymore. Just a shell of what he used to be."
"But why?"
"I'm glad you've found her."
Bran states, changing the subject as he motions to Daenerys, he walks up beside me.
"I can't see that far into the future but I know that after the Red Wedding, if you weren't with her soon... Well, I suppose that's just an alternate life."
"You make no sense, Bran."
I state and he nods a little.
"Doesn't surprise me much. Holding the memories of of mankind makes one not the most joyful person like your fiance."
He states and I raise a brow.
"You... You have the memories of mankind? Like..everything?"
"It isn't much different from you. You can walk in the past of your ancestors, Evelyn Dayne. See what they saw, feel what they felt. I know it wasn't easy growing up with all of that in your head."
I sigh a little, looking away from Bran. The memories from Vorian Dayne all the way up to my father always plagued my mind, even now.
"So... you know things? Even about me? The things I have done?"
Daenerys asks, sounding a little worried as Bran only nods.
"I do not know what this world would look like if you two hadn't found each other."
He states and silence envelopes the area, the only sound being the slight wind rustle the tree branches and the snow on the ground. Bran's eyes focus on the tree again and I follow his gaze, seeing something from a past memory.
I chuckle lightly, standing up and moving towards the tree.
"What is it, love?"
Daenerys asks I brush my hand over the small engraving on the tree, the indented part red like blood as the back around it is as white as the snow.
"A past memory, it seems."
Daenerys stands beside me, looking at the engraving.
"They're letters."
"Mhmn. Me and Jon marked the tree when we were growing up. It was a miserable night as Jon was upset about someone saying something along the lines of him being a no-good bastard and I was upset about the things I saw in my dreams. We ran out of the keep by ourselves in the middle of the night, right here to the Weirwood tree. We cried like utter idiots together until we just sat right here, hugging one another. The mark we cut into the tree was meant to be a promise to watch out for one another, to beat the shit out of whoever was bullying the other."
I laugh at the memory. Jon and I were such different people then, worried about what other people thought of us. And perhaps we still are that way.
"But wouldn't your Old Gods be mad that you marked up a Weirwood tree?"
"Are you kidding? The First Men did worse than mark initials on the Weirwoods."
I laugh a little as Daenerys takes my arm in hers.
"It'll be a beautiful place to be married."
"Indeed. Though I personally find it better in spring or summer."
"That's if we make it past the Long Night to come."
Bran suddenly says, making me nearly jump out of my skin in surprise.
"Fucking hell! I forgot about you."
"I have that affect on people."
He states plainly as Daenerys and I turn back to face Bran.
"Sansa was married under this tree once. It was a beautiful night."
"Were you there for it?"
"In a sense."
Bran's words confuse the hell out of me. Our conversation turns to silence once more as he seems to spaceout, looking like he's getting lost in his own mind.
"So... Brandon.."
Dsenerys pauses briefly, making Bran shift his attention to her.
"If you can..see things. And you know things... Well..do you know if Evelyn and I will be queens?'
"You already are."
"I mean of the Seven Kingdoms."
"A Greenseer cannot see far into the future. All that I can see are fragments of different futures. Your futures, your destiny's are intertwined with each other. The ink of that wrote the pages of the past has since dried, but the future is ever-shifting."
Bran states as he stares at Daenerys for a long moment. I can tell his words don't exactly help Daenerys' question that much but she doesn't try to push it as he shifts his gaze towards me.
"Never let go of one another. The idea of that kind of a promise is a beautiful yet painful one. But in the near future, Evelyn, you will be tested, as will we all. The choice between love or duty, to let go or to hang on, is a difficult choice to make. But when the time comes, I know you will choose the right one."
His words confuse me but I don't push the subject as Bran just turns back to the Weirwood tree, staring off into nothing and everything all at once.
~~~~~
A/N
I guess Bran knows some shit that others don't know. And yes, Greenseers in Game of Thrones can see a little into the future but not too far. And looking back into the past could make a person trapped in it forever.
Anyways, I really hope you guys like this arc so far. I know it's kind of slow right now and since the White Walkers are still stuck on the other side of the Wall, it may not seem like much is happening and I'm sorry for that. This is just how I'm having my story play itself out so bear with me on it.
Thank you all so much for your support and feedback so far! It is beyond incredible seeing how much you guys and gals like this story so far and I hope you continue with your support!
Thank you so much for reading!!!